


Love, The Only Constant

by SamuelJames



Category: Shelter (2007)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-27
Updated: 2011-03-27
Packaged: 2017-10-17 07:33:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/174407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamuelJames/pseuds/SamuelJames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zach and Shaun celebrating an anniversary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love, The Only Constant

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Love, The Only Constant  
> Pairing: Zach/Shaun  
> Rating: 15+/R  
> Summary: Zach and Shaun celebrating an anniversary.  
> Notes: Written for the prompt Shelter, Zach/Shaun, fire.  
> Disclaimer: Shelter is the property of its creators. No copyright infringement is intended.  
> Archiving Information: Please do not archive elsewhere on the net.

Zach thinks about Shaun as he works on dinner. It's been twelve years now and they're happy. It wasn't easy getting to this point. Cody adapted to their living situation so quickly but Shaun and Zach were a little more hesitant. Zach had worried that he'd put too much pressure on their relationship by giving Shaun a ready-made family mere weeks after their first kiss. If he and Shaun had broken up he and Cody would have been in real trouble and he’d been really uncomfortable with the idea that it seemed like he might be using Shaun.

Cody had readily accepted Shaun as a second father but Shaun was a little freaked out by the responsibility. Shaun kept deferring to Zach on everything. It took taking care of Cody while he had a stomach bug to prove to Shaun that he could be a parent. When Zach got home he’d assured Shaun that he'd done all the right things to take care of Cody and made Shaun blush by telling him he was proud of him. Later that night he’d confided in Shaun that he didn’t always know the right way to parent. Sometimes he still worries about getting things wrong but Cody is a good kid.

Zach is making dinner for their anniversary. It’s nothing too pretentious, just Shaun's favourites but it reminds Zach of the first time Shaun cooked for him. He remembers how scared he was but how nice it was to be taken care of. Cody interrupts his thoughts.

"Can I take some sodas over to Steve’s?"

"Sure. Don’t forget clothes for tomorrow."

Cody pats his backpack. "Sorted. Have a good night."

"Thanks, Cody. Drive safely."

"I always do."

He trusts Cody’s driving. It’s just every other driver out there that Zach worries about. He’s staying at a friend's house, something about a project that needs finishing. Zach suspects it's more to do with accidentally walking in on them the night of Shaun's birthday. They'd intended getting to the bedroom but sometimes just touching each is enough to send rational thoughts out of their minds. Zach’s just glad were interrupted before their clothes came off. It's nice of Cody to let them have the house to themselves. Would it be inappropriate to tell him they don't only have sex on special occasions?

Everything's coming along nicely when Shaun arrives home. He wraps his arms around Zach and kisses his neck, tells him dinner smells great. Zach turns away from the stove and sees the fire in his partner's eyes. When Shaun looks at him like that it still turns his insides to jelly. He kisses Shaun softly. Shaun hugs him and whispers in his ear.

"Happy Anniversary, babe."

"Happy Anniversary, Shaun. Dinner won't be long."

It's so tempting just to fall into bed right now but the last time that happened they'd discovered their fire alarm worked just fine and dinner had been ruined. Shaun sets the table and lights the candles Zach would have chosen. He loves the silent communication thing they have. It’s probably not unique to them but Zach can’t help smiling when Shaun follows up the candles with the perfect choice of music. Shaun excuses himself for a moment and Zach checks dinner one more time before sitting on the couch.

When Shaun reappears he hands Zach a card. It’s filled with loving words, Shaun has an unfair advantage there but it’s the homemade vouchers that make Zach smile. At the beginning of their relationship Zach had been so worried about college and money and taking care of Cody that it looked like they might not even make it to a year, let alone twelve. He’d been so uncomfortable with the idea of relying on Shaun for money that Shaun had hit upon the idea of homemade gifts and vouchers.

Zach smiles and leans over to kiss Shaun. "Haven’t had these for a while. Thank you, Shaun." He looks through them smiling at the chores ones, seeing laundry in Shaun’s future. There are three date ones and four for sexual favors. "Do I have to use a voucher tonight?"

Shaun shakes his head. "Tonight’s a freebie, to get you wanting more."

Zach turns and leans back against Shaun’s chest loving the way Shaun holds him. Of course he appreciates how lucky he is but anniversaries always make him reflect on things.

"I’m so glad you didn’t give up on me, Shaun."

"Me too, I hated fighting with you but I kept just wanting to fix things when all you wanted was space. It scares me when I think about that first year and how close we came to losing this."

"This isn’t how I wanted tonight to go."

"Didn’t mean to kill the mood. I just want you to know how much you mean to me. I never thought I’d get to be a dad or find someone who gets why I love writing so much and someone who knows me so well."

Zach lifts Shaun’s arm and kisses his wrist. "You knowing me, seeing the real me was scary as hell at first but now I love it."

"I love you so much, Zach."

"Me too."

Shaun falls back on their private joke. "You love yourself."

After dinner Shaun clears the table while Zach bans him from their bedroom. Zach appears a few minutes later with a small present and a card.

"I had to wrap it, so organised as usual."

Shaun opens the card first, handmade. Shaun smiles at the sketch of the surfboards, his writing desk and their initials in a small heart. "It’s lovely, nicer than my store bought one. My desk is not that messy though."

"Not today but when you’re in the zone there’s pages everywhere."

Shaun opens the gift next. "Thanks, Zach. I really like it."

"It’s kind of my fault your other watch broke even though waterproof should mean fine in the shower."

Shaun kisses Zach and starts walking him backwards towards their bedroom. He breaks the kiss when Zach stumbles over Cody’s sneakers. They both laugh and Zach kicks the sneakers aside and pulls Shaun into their room.

Zach slides his hand under Shaun’s shirt and Shaun copies him, resting his hand on Zach’s back and stroking the soft skin with his thumb over and over. Zach pushes his leg between Shaun’s and they move together slowly. He breaks their kiss a moment later.

"I totally had this big seduction planned but now…"

"This is good, Zach. We should totally take advantage of a night alone but I like this." He kisses Zach again and moves his hand to Zach’s hip. "Let’s just do this. Tell me something about your week."

They stay as they are for over an hour interrupting their talk with occasional touches or kisses.

"Are we getting old, Shaun?"

"Look at it this way, you’ll still always be younger than me."

Zach laughs. "That does help a little but tonight is special. We’d normally be naked by now."

Shaun takes Zach’s hand. "We still have a good sex life. There’s no obligation to do it on our anniversary. Being with you is the best part and what I feel for you is better than feeling you."

"Are you quoting one of your books?"

Shaun shakes his head.

"You are. Give me a minute. Yeah, that was totally what Adam said to Tom in Pacific Shores when Tom was nervous about losing his virginity."

"Crap, you’re right. I can’t believe I just did that. I meant it all though, sex doesn’t have to happen all the time. There are no expiry dates on those vouchers."

Zach snuggles up next to Shaun. They're both far too comfortable to move and end up doing rock, paper, scissors to see who has lock up for the night. Zach wins and laughs at Shaun's forlorn expression. "Quicker you check everything the quicker you'll be back in bed."

"I love you, Zach."

"Love you too but I'm not switching with you."

Shaun sighs loudly but gets up. When he comes back in he has his card. He puts it on his nightstand before getting into bed.

Zach rests his head on Shaun's chest and throws his arm across Shaun's stomach. "Thanks for a great night, Shaun."

"Any time."


End file.
